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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27453859">You and Me are Tautology</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/reva_pocalypse/pseuds/old_fics'>old_fics (reva_pocalypse)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Homestuck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Aradia Has Depth Dammit and I'm Going to Show It To You, Character Study, Depression, Earth C (Homestuck), F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Impossible Amalgamations of Physical Time Created in the Meltdown of a Time God, Loneliness, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-Canon, Ragging on Sollux, fair warning this fic can get quite heavy, it's not a light fluffy read but there is a good ending</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:41:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,818</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27453859</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/reva_pocalypse/pseuds/old_fics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jade found Aradia, she was running through an empty field in the dead of night, the wind whipping through her hair and the grass crunching under her bare feet. An unshakeable restlessness had grabbed hold of her, and she needed to escape.</p><p>So she ran. Darted around trees, sprinted up hills, leapt over creeks. Tried to drown her thoughts in hot pumping adrenaline, like she always did. Hoping against hope that it would finally work.</p><p>That is, until she heard the ticking.</p><p> </p><p>AKA, what if Aradia and Sollux returned to Earth C on their own, but things didn't exactly go as planned?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jade Harley/Aradia Megido</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>You and Me are Tautology</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hope you enjoy my jaderadia manifesto &gt;:) by now it's been a while since i wrote this fic but i'm still very very proud of it. i poured all my love for this ship into it, and i believe i've explored parts of these characters that have largely gone unexplored. i hope you enjoy!</p><p>i wrote this fic for the <a href="https://revapocalypse.itch.io/impro8a8legirls">impro8a8le girls zine</a>, make sure to check it out for more sweet girl content! there's a lot of jaderadia in there, it's awesome</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="pesterlog"><span class="none">Jade Harley was the last person to know about Aradia Megido.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">When she found her, she was running through an empty field in the dead of night, the wind whipping through her hair and the grass crunching under her bare feet. An unshakeable restlessness had grabbed hold of her, and she needed to escape.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">So she ran. Darted around trees, sprinted up hills, leapt over creeks. Tried to drown her thoughts in hot pumping adrenaline, like she always did. Hoping against hope that it would finally work.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">That is, until she heard the ticking.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">One second it wasn't there, and the next it was, clear as a bell. It caught Jade so off guard that she lost her focus and tripped over an anthill, crashing into the ground. Irritation flared up in her, fierce and invigorating, as she leapt to her feet and scoured the area for the source of the invasive sound.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">In the new stillness, she became aware of her surroundings, realizing that the night sky above her was glowing red. The strange light was pulsing in even bursts, perfectly in time with the ticking that filled her ears. It seemed to rotate slowly around some distant origin point, much more distant than the volume of the ticking would indicate. What was going on?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Curiosity taking hold of her, Jade spun on her heel and started towards the light's source, albeit with a bit more caution than she had exercised during her all-out sprint.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">After a few hundred yards, something began to peek over the horizon, something metallic and shiny that rotated along with the light it cast. A hundred yards later Jade realized it was a cog, like those used in fancy clocks, and it was massive. As she ran closer, more and more of these cogs came into view, all bigger than seemed possible and all rotating in sync. Finally, as she bounded to the top of a small hill, everything came into full view.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade let out a breath, not in exhaustion, but in awe. She plopped to the ground, trying to make sense of the impossible spectacle laid out in front of her.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">A ray of searing red light crisscrossed with elaborate white patterns fanned out across the sky, a perfect semicircle that must have been a hundred feet across. Its center was tethered to the ground at a point Jade couldn't look at straight, blinded by the much brighter light that shone out from it. The surroundings were littered with dozens and dozens of smaller copies of the giant disc of light, jabbing out of the ground at unnatural angles and transforming the terrain into a maze. And floating in the sky above it all were the cogs, interlocking to create a vast forest of machinery that glowed like no metal Jade had ever seen before.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">And every single piece, from the smallest cog to the biggest light disc, was jerking in time to the beat of the ticks. A ticking that hadn't gotten louder or softer with proximity, had maintained itself with a disturbing precision.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade had never seen anything like it before. But she knew it must be the work of a god.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">The wonder in her chest hardened into cold fear as she processed this information. This strange amalgamation of time symbols had clearly been created by a time player, and there was only one time player on Earth C. Was Dave in danger?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: dave?? dave where are you???</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: what happened? what did you do?</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: DAVE!?</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: he left like three h0urs ag0. where have y0u been?</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: wh-SOLLUX??</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade jumped. Sollux Captor (who Jade could recognize on sight after the long hours of Karkat's rants about him) was sitting on the ground fifty feet away from her, leaned up against a rock. There were bags under his eyes and dirt on his clothes. He gave her a tired half-smile as she ran over.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: when did you get here? what's going on?</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: ha, j0kes 0n y0u, i never left.</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: n0b0dy else is willing t0 stay the night with her, s0 i'm sleeping here n0w. h00ray.</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: what — no! i meant when did you get to earth c?</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: a few days ag0? h0w is that relevant.</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: how is that NOT relevant??</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: actually, you're right. that isn't important right now</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: a better question is: where the hell is dave? is he okay?</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: he went h0me a few h0urs ag0. remember what i said? he, al0ng with every 0ne 0f y0u shitbags, d0esn't feel like taking a night shift.</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: what are you even TALKING about??</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: if it wasn't dave then who made that... that thing??</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: 0h. 0h shit.</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: n0b0dy t0ld y0u?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade gave Sollux a Look that seemed to convey her answer, and Sollux had the decency to look mildly embarrassed.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: f0r the rec0rd, i th0ught every0ne knew.</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: i mean, the 0thers have been c0ming and g0ing f0r days.</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: well, except f0r me, because i 0bvi0usly d0n't have anything better t0 d0 then lie here and r0t away in my 0wn filth.</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: sollux i sure do love listening to you whine, but could you please explain what exactly the fuck is going on here first??</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: 0kay, fine.</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: just sit d0wn.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Sollux patted the ground. Jade reluctantly settled down next to him, still fuming.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: it was my decisi0n t0 c0me here.</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: traipsing ar0und in space is fun at first, but after a while, it can get really b0ring.</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: i started nagging aradia ab0ut c0ming here and just living n0rmally f0r a while. i c0uld tell she didn't really want t0, but she caved eventually.</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: but when we g0t here, aradia started freaking 0ut. she was muttering s0mething ab0ut keeping herself safe? i'm n0t sure, she wasn't making much sense.</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: and bef0re i c0uld talk t0 her ab0ut it, she, uh. </span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Sollux waved his hand vaguely at the glowing center of the biggest light disc.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: fr0ze herself in time.</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: and n0b0dy kn0ws h0w t0 get her 0ut.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Sollux rasped out a chuckle. He looked impossibly tired. Jade, on the other hand, was furious.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: why didn't i know about this?</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: i dunn0.</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: why didn't dave or karkat or rose or ANYONE tell me about this????</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i know i'm fucking useless to everybody now that i've lost my green sun powers but they could at least PRETEND TO CARE!!!</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: wh0a.</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: are y0u, uh...</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: okay? NO i'm NOT okay!!</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade growled, and without her words to distract her the ticking filled her mind once more. It replaced what would be silence with its unwelcome presence, letting Jade know exactly how many seconds Sollux was staring at her with that awful pity on his face.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Tick. Tick. Tick.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: you know what?</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i'm done</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i'm done just... sitting on the sidelines and waiting for things to happen to me. i'm done being a waste of time to everyone in my life!</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: if nobody else can fix this mess... then i'll just have to do it myself</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: 0k, i can tell y0u're having a r0ugh time, but listen t0 me. it's stupid danger0us t0 get cl0se t0 her right n0w.</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: does it look to you like i give a single shit???</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: jade, just d0n't—</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i'm getting aradia out of there </span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: right now</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade leapt to her feet and snarled at Sollux, who scooched away hurriedly. Without hesitation, she marched up to the nearest light disc, which was floating ten feet above the ground. She took a deep breath, raised her hands above her head, and <i>crushed.</i></span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Slowly, painfully, the light disc began to contract, shrinking with juddery movements as Jade struggled against it. When it had finally shrunk to the size of a baseball, it burst under the pressure, disappearing into thin air. Jade gave Sollux a smirk.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: see? i can handle this!!</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: y0u're g0nna get y0urself killed, idi0t!</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i have to do this sollux </span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: please don't try to stop me!</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">To ensure he couldn't mess up her plan, Jade shrunk Sollux's phone (which he had discreetly taken out of his pocket) down to the size of a pebble in his hands. This really pissed him off, but Jade didn't stick around to get yelled at. She was headed right to the center.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Sidestepping light discs and shrinking down the ones that got in her way, Jade got as close to the blinding center as she dared before slowing to a stop. All at once, she became aware of the oppressive heat rolling in waves off of where Aradia must be. Jade could barely breathe through it, much less save somebody else from it.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">If she still had her green sun powers, Jade could teleport right to Aradia and get her out of there quickly. But without them, there was nothing she could do. Her head started swimming as the heat pressed in on her, and she felt like she might cry.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">With a strangled yell, she screwed her eyes shut, ran at the light, and threw the strongest punch she could muster. She felt her hand hit something that was hard as a rock, but seemed to give way slightly under pressure. Her brain was going fuzzy from the now unbearable heat, but she kept pushing her hand as far as it would go. Then, out of nowhere, her hand started going numb, the heat being sapped out of it with a frightening speed.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Panicking, she tried to pull her arm back, but it was completely frozen. She had acted without thinking and trapped herself in time, and now she couldn't escape. She was going to die a heroic death without even managing to be a hero.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade finally gave up, and slumped onto the ground. She could feel herself passing out, but it didn't matter anymore. Nobody cared, anyway. Nobody would miss her.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">And that's when Aradia woke up.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">If Jade wasn't busy passing out, she would have seen Aradia's eyes flash, brighter even than the light that enveloped her. She would have seen the light disc trapping Aradia shudder, then heard it splinter into a thousand pieces. She would have felt the heat around her begin to dissipate, and then felt Aradia's rough hands checking her pulse and gently moving her limbs out from under her.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">But she didn't see or hear or feel any of this, because she was already unconscious.</span><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: oh good youre waking up</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: hello? can you hear me?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">As Jade drifted into consciousness, she could make out the faint sound of a lilting voice, and tried to focus on it. Unfortunately, the effort made her just conscious enough to become aware of her head throbbing with pain and the stones digging into her back. She groaned.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: it sounds like youre in pain</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: humans are so silly</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: what did you think would happen when you tried to break through the physical embodiment of time</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: whhhh... wha... </span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Hesitantly, Jade cracked open her eyes. Aradia's face was hovering above hers. It showed no signs of distress or fear, only patience as she waited for Jade's response.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: what... what happened?</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: well</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: you happened</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade blinked at Aradia, giving her an annoyed look. Aradia merely shrugged, then gestured to their surroundings.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">With a great effort, Jade hoisted herself up on her elbows and looked around. She was in the same place she had passed out, still surrounded by the ticking light discs and cogs, but they didn't glow as brightly anymore. While the ticking still grated on her ears, it had finally quieted down a bit. The heat was gone completely, replaced by the familiar chill of a summer night.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: whoa...</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: yeah</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: how did i do that?</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: maybe my earlier statement was misleading</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: you didnt do this</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: you were putting yourself in grave danger just now you know</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i couldnt let you die such a meaningless death</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: so i unlocked myself from time to save you</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: well, same difference!!</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: perhaps</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade couldn't tell if Aradia was upset, grateful, angry. If she even cared at all about what Jade had done (or rather, "caused to happen"). After all, she had never been trapped in the first place. She could have broken herself out at any time and saved them all the trouble, but she chose not to.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: what's your deal, anyway?</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: could you elaborate?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Frustration bubbled up in Jade's stomach.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i'm talking about the fucking time prison you trapped yourself in! what else could i POSSIBLY be referring to??</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: haha</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: time prison</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: why is THAT what you finally react to?!</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: it just reminded me of sollux</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Aradia cast her gaze to the side, searching for Sollux through the layers of light discs. Her face hadn't changed, but her voice had become wistful.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: a few weeks ago he was talking about a human comic he found in a stash in the dreambubbles</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: neither of us knew the characters but sollux liked it because of the mention of a time prison</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: he said it reminded him of me</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Aradia's voice fell away, and the ticking filled the silence yet again. Tick. Tick. Tick.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: hes always had a knack for telling the future</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: but i dont think that was meant to be one of his prophecies</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade felt her anger slowly melt away, replaced by a quiet understanding. She recognized the guilt of disappointing a friend who expected better from you. Deserved better.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i'm sorry for snapping</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i dont blame you</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i know i can be standoffish at times</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: well, you're not the only one</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade gave Aradia a wry smile, which made her chuckle.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: but really, why did you trap yourself like that? </span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: well i guess "try to trap yourself" fits better. you weren't very successful :/</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i mean, everyone else has been trying to break you out for days! they've all been so worried</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: everyone else? what about you?</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: nobody seemed to think i was important enough to know you were here</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Aradia gasped.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: and it's not like it could have been an accident</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i met with rose and kanaya for lunch yesterday</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i spent last night at dave and karkat's house!</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i guess it could have been a misunderstanding... but that doesn't make it suck any less</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: ah</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: im sorry</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: it's not your fault</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: no not about that</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: im sorry about all of this</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: im sorry that i started this mess</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Aradia met Jade's eyes, giving her a meaningful look. Her deep red eyes were regretful, but bright. Confident. She seemed to make a decision, and hoisted herself to her feet.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: rest assured it wont happen again</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i think its time i go</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: huh? but you just got here!</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Aradia cast her gaze up to the sky. Out here, so far from civilization and its damaging light pollution, millions of stars were visible, burning bright.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i dont belong here</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i dont belong among these people living normal lives</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i dont think i belong among the living at all</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">As she spoke, she drifted upward, two feet, then five, then ten. Tick. Tick. Tick.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: my place is among the dead</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: there might still be some ghosts out there</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: remnants of the dreambubbles drifting without a home</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: im going to find them and help them</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: this is my calling</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">She looked back down at Jade and smiled.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: thank you for freeing me</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: tell sollux to loosen up and enjoy himself here, will you?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Tick.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade stood up, holding eye contact.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Tick.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Then she crouched and leapt into the air, grabbing Aradia's arm with a yell.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: you're not going anywhere</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: wh</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i said!</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Tightening her grip, Jade let herself drop like a stone.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: you're. not. going. ANYWHERE!</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Aradia gasped, trying to pry Jade's fingers off, but her grip was unshakeable. She beat her wings furiously, trying to fly away, but Jade flew downward at the same time. Their efforts cancelled each other out.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">And so they hung suspended in the air, frozen once more.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: why are you doing this</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: why are YOU doing this?</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: you just got to earth c. you can finally relax! do something with your life that isn't related to the game!</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: why would you give that up so quickly?</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i appreciate your concern but i already told you</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: this is my d-</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: that's bullshit</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: you don't have a duty. you don't HAVE to do anything!</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: you just keep saying that to avoid your real problems!</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: is that really true or are you just projecting your own problems onto me</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade flinched, looking away and scowling. Aradia had a point, and it hurt to admit it. After all, wasn't she doing just that? Wasn't she ignoring her own unhappiness for the sake of other people's happiness? Tick. Tick. Tick.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: that wasnt fair of me to say</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: ...</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: im sorry</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i dont know why im acting like this</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i suppose you dont know me very well but i promise im usually more compassionate than this</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: that's my point! you're acting off because you're upset.</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: something's wrong. i can tell!</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade paused, tried to find the right words. Aradia looked carefully into her eyes, searching for something.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: you weren't exactly wrong when you said i was projecting</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i recognize that you're being avoidant because </span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i'm the same way</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: and i thought i'd moved past that bad habit! i thought i'd left it behind when i came to earth c!</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: but it turns out that was a lie to myself too :(</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: oh</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: running doesn't fix anything</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i think i understand that now more than ever</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Aradia quietly floated down to Jade's eye level. Jade let go of Aradia's arm, but Aradia took her hand.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: well</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: youre right</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i dont really care about duty</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: the only time i ever believed in that was when i was dead</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: and i try not to think about that time</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Aradia fell quiet for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Jade gave her hand a gentle squeeze, which Aradia returned.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i havent been around living people in a very long time</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: time in the dreambubbles doesnt follow consistent rules but i know its been many years since i first chose to guide the dead</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: and ive had so much fun</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: ive met countless trolls from doomed timelines that all had their own stories to tell</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: stories nothing like the alpha timeline</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: it was so easy to forget about what happened to the versions of my friends that i grew up with</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: to forget what happened to me</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: whenever ive been around the living ive gotten hurt</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i had to be killed by a friend so the story of the living could progress</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i watched as hundreds of other versions of me suffered the same fate</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: so when i godtiered and found my life again</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i fled to a place where i could never be hurt by the narrative</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: and maybe this is selfish of me</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: but i dont want to stick around on earth c and wait for my life to be taken from me again</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">The weight of Aradia's words seemed to weigh down on her, causing her to curl in on herself. It was clear that she had never talked about this before. Jade took a moment to let her words sink in before responding.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i think i get it now</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: the stress of being this close to relevancy after all these years got to you</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: and you got a little freaked out</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: yes just a little</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: its a bit embarrassing in retrospect haha</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Jade sighed, then smiled sadly.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i know just how you feel</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: my life hasn't been pretty either</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: looking back it feels like every other day something bad happened to me so other people could be happy</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: but it doesn't have to be like that anymore</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: there is no more alpha timeline to decide what happens</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: there's just our infinite lives and the choices we make to change them</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: and how can you make those choices if you're hiding out in space somewhere??</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: that is a very good point</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: and... if i'm being honest? and maybe a little selfish too haha</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i don't want you to leave</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i know we barely know each other, but i've never met somebody else who gets it like you do</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: i think if you stayed, we could really help each other out</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">At these words, Aradia grinned in a way that showed all her teeth and made her eyes crinkle up. It was the most beautiful smile Jade had ever seen, and she could feel her cheeks heat up.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: then maybe my efforts would be better spent here</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i think ill stay a while</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Aradia closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. As she exhaled, the last remnants of her time prison dissolved into nothingness, and the ticking finally stopped. Reveling in the quiet, the two descended to the ground, hands still joined.</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: do you need somewhere to crash tonight? we've got an extra room back at the house</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: oh please i am so tired of sleeping on the ground</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: do you only have one room?</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: yeah, why?</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: then where will sollux sleep?</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: </span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i see youve forgotten about sollux</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: i've been here the wh0le time, assh0les!</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: haha. whoops!</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: wanna fill me in 0n what the fuck just happened?</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: how about we get into it after we get some rest?</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: sure, whatever.</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: hey sollux</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: yeah?</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: im sorry about all this</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: i didnt mean to stress you out</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: honestly, i'm just glad y0u're 0kay.</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: :)</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: let's get 0ut 0f here. i haven't slept in days and i feel a migraine c0ming 0n.</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: come here</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: awww, you carry him on your back? that's adorable!</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: shut up.</span><br/>
<span class="jade">JADE: hahaha!</span><br/>
<span class="aradia">ARADIA: heehee!</span><br/>
<span class="sollux">SOLLUX: y0u tw0 are insufferable t0gether, y0u kn0w that?</span><br/>
<br/>
<span class="none">Still poking fun at Sollux, Jade and Aradia lifted off together. Rising high into the air, they turned towards home and sailed off into the night.</span><br/>
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